Can't stand me now
by halabala33
Summary: Meet Izzie - a 16 year old girl who takes advantage of her parents absence and leaves her home. She becomes a room mate of Pete Dunham, who takes pity on her after they share a moment of "my life sucks more than your life".
1. Chapter 1: Isabel

**It was a warm summer afternoon. The air was unmoving and still. Dark clouds were forming in the height up over the city skycrapers. The park in front of the old looking building was anything but silent before the storm. The sounds of children protesting when called to come back home, dogs barking and running around and bees anxiously flying to find their shelters awaiting heavy rain were mixed with the tones of piano sonata coming from the ground floor window. Suddenly the big raindrops started falling from the sky and the music stopped. People from the park disappeared so quickly it almost seemed like they used magic.**

**„Alright Isabel, that be enough for today. Please practice the whole sonata at least twice today. See you next Thursday."**

**Isabel stared at her uptight music teacher in disbelief. Last week when she begged the teacher to let her leave the lesson 5 minutes early she refused with the look of horror on her horsey English face. But now, when it was pouring outside she send her home 25 minutes prior the end of lesson.**

**„You have some problem, Isabel?"**

**She quickly gathered her things and left out the door with silent „No problem Ms. Bennet. Not at all."**

**Not wanting to stay there a second longer, Isabel took the umbrella out of her bag and with a huge sigh she stepped outside. When in the park she looked at her cell phone and checked the time. Next bus was coming in 35 minutes.**

**„Awesome," she muttered bitterly and sat on the soaked porch. She wasn't in hurry to get back home. She knew that apart from being warm and dry she won't feel any different than she did sitting at the deserted bus stop in the middle of what looked like the storm of the century. She felt so empty and numb that she was freaking herself out. Sometimes she wondered if anyone or everyone feels so indifferent about other human beings just like she does and they all are just pretending to be interested in happy chats about clothes, cars and babies. If they too only interact when it's profiting for them, otherwise they don't really give a shit. She watched the water gathered on the edge of the umbrella fall down so slowly as if the time has stopped.**

**Only after what seemed like hours to her she noticed that she is not alone at the bus stopped anymore. The bus she was supposed to take just left the stop and the three kids she knew from school apparently came from it.**

**„Hey Izz!" One of them yelled at her through the rain. She vaguely smiled and yelled back.**

**„Hey Rob!" He and the other two kids came closer so they didn't have to yell.**

**„Wasn't you s'pposed to take that bus?" Rob asked her with a grin.**

**„Um, yeah. I was." She shrugged and when she saw he was laughing, she added protectivly: "So what. Like you've never missed the bus when you spent half an hour waiting for it standing in the rain."**

**She started laughing with him. It really was ridiculous situation.**

**„So, where you're going?" She asked the boy.**

**„We're going to Ted's house, to play Settlers from Catan and eat some home-made chocolate chip cookies with milk."**

**„Fancy to join us?" Ted chimed in.**

**She knew Rob was a fucking liar but when she imagined the cold house with her demanding mother she was supposed to come back to right after the piano lesson even his offer sounded tempting. She put on a big fake smile and nodded. „Sure. Why not."**

* * *

**Five hours later she found herself back at the bus stop all alone again. _At least it has stopped raining_, she thought. She was so disappointed when she realized that Robbie was not kidding this time, when he told her about their plans for the evening. After 6 games of Settlers she excused herself that she had to go home, but kindly refused the offer of Ted's mom to drive her home. She knew she had to get there sometime tonight; she wasn't just quite ready yet.**

**Thinking about what she's going to do next she didn't noticed there were some guys standing on the pavement across the street. Only after a brick fell through the parked car's windshield she got back to reality. She watched the brawl unconcerned from her bench. The guys who were fighting were obviously drunk and they were blabbing something about football. One group apparently won the fight, because she heard loud cheering and saw the other guys running away with no shame. It was kind of pathetic.**

**Guys who won the fight were chatting excitingly about it when they crossed the street and got to the bus stop. Isabel listened to their pissing contest of who took down who unmoved. After a while she amazed realized that not only she was listening to the stranger's conversation, she was listening to the football hooligans' conversation, well, mostly one particular hooligan and she was laughing so hard, that when he looked at her with his light blue eyes and frowned, she immediately shut up and practiced her art of acting like she was not there. She mastered it after years and years of being unwillingly the witness of her parents fighting and them forcing her to choose a side.**

**Being lost in her own little world again she thoughtlessly got on the bus that has just arrived. She failed to notice that the hot guy got on the bus too and sat on the seat right next to her and frowning intensely at her. Staring out of the window she saw the street she knew so well and took of the bus at the next stop. She walked down the pavement jingling with her keys and opened the door. For a short second the light from the hall enlightened the dark street. She quietly closed the door and went up to her room where she immediately lied down on her bed and fell asleep. It's been a long, long day.**


	2. Chapter 2: Milo

**Next morning Isabel woke up early. It was one of those days when you woke up singing a song that local radio stations were trying to make a hit of and you got a warm and fuzzy feeling only because you got your favourite tshirt back clean. She hopped off of the bed, put her Irish drinking socks on and tuned the radio in. Bopping her head to the beat she did her morning rituals. She slid down the stair rail and entered the kitchen where her mother was eating french toast.**

**"Morning, Ma!"  
"Good morning Isabel. You slept well?"  
"Yes, very well, thank you."  
"When did you come home?"  
"Um, at seven," Isabel lied not so subtly and poured orange juice from the box she found in the fridge.  
"I didn't hear you practice playing piano. I thought Ms. Bennet said you should practice much more if you want to become a decent player."  
"Yes, if I want to."  
"What's that supposed to mean! You are so talented; you could make it so far if you tried!"  
"Mom, please! I'm average piano player, at best. I have dad's short fingers; I can barely reach an octave. You know that."  
Mom pursed her lips and Isabel knew that if she quickly doesn't say something, her mother would burst into yet another "your father is good for nothing" rant yet again.  
"Guess what? I went to that job interview I told you yesterday and I got the job!"  
She watched her mother's face irradiate into a happy smile.  
"That's so great Isabel. Don't you mess it up! It will help you so much for your college application. And try to be helpful. When do you start?"  
"Tomorrow. The boss is real nice and the job doesn't seem that hard. They are making an audit for some big firm and we will just do some paper work or something. I'm not quit sure actually."  
"I know you will do well. You always do."  
Isabel smiled at the praise and took an apple of the kitchen counter. She kissed her mother's cheek and left the kitchen singing 'I kissed a girl and I liked it', laughing light heartedly when she saw her mother's disapproving look. She was on the way back to her room when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw the picture of her school mate Hanna. She  
smiled a little and answered the call.**

**"Yeah?"**

**"Hi, Baby Belle! Have you decided yet if you're coming with us tonight? Well, I'm telling you now, you are coming! It will be so awesome! We'll have so much fun! Come on! You simply have to go. You know who else is also coming? Jim Heatly. Yay! I'm  
so excited! What will you wear? I bought a new dress yesterday, I will look so  
hot. It has glitter and feathers and everything and it is pink. I love it!"  
Suddenly Isabel regretted she ever answers her phone. She agreed that she will come just to shut the girl up and quickly ended the call. In a way she was happy she'll go out with Hanna tonight. _There's nothing wrong with a sixteen year old who wants to live a little_, she thought.**

* * *

**The idea that there might be something wrong with being a straight A grade student with too many extracurricular activities and a job crossed her mind though, when she was trying so hard not to fall asleep at her new job the next day with her head on the desk. She gave up on listening to the job instructor a long time ago and was placing all her hopes on the boy sitting next to her, assuming he was listening and would be kind enough to tell her what to do when the time comes. He smiled at her with tired red eyes and whispered.  
"Hi, I'm Milo."  
"Isabel," she whispered back. He grinned.  
"Isabel, I so hope you was listening carefully to everything the old skank is saying because I have no damn idea what I'm supposed to do."  
Isabel shook her head disapprovingly, which caused the boy laugh loudly and he gained a hiss from a girl sitting in front of them. Milo looked at Isabel with a smirk and winked at her. Finally, the instructor finished and assigned Isabel to go see the boss and be his personal assistant for the day. To Isabel's delight she assigned Milo to go with her. They left the conference  
room and went to the elevators.**

**"Do you know where the boss' office is?" Isabel asked with a hope that left her when she saw he was shaking his head.  
"Nah. It should be written here somewhere, though." He looked above at the information panel. "Do you know what his name is?"  
Isabel looked at him feeling a bit offended. _Did he really think she was that stupid?_  
"Of course I do. It's" she paused, and her eyes bugged out when she realized she completely blanked out on the name. "Um, it's something like Burden or Beckham, isn't it?"  
Milo snorted. "Yeah, right. David Beckham. Why can't I see his office anywhere, though?"**

**"Shut up," she snapped.**

**"What kind of person doesn't remember her boss' name?" He teased her.**

**"Some retard just like you."**

**"At least I know it started with letter 'P'."**

**"No it didn't. It was more like 'B' or 'S'. Or 'M'"**

**"Yeah, because those are generally fungible."**

**She made a fake angry face and sighed. "So what are we gonna do now?'  
He looked at her up and down and suggested: "Fancy a quickie in a broomcloset?**

**"Piss off," she laughed. "It's not like you'd be able to find one, anyway."**

**She looked around when he grabbed her arm.  
"Look, look! Ain't that the fella we're looking for? That blond one  
talking to that little fat frog?"  
She looked where he was pointing and indeed, she saw her boss. She hurried across the hall and looked at the name tag on the door he was standing next to.  
"See! Dunham! I've told you, it's sorta like Burden." she called triumphantly. Milo laughed and pointed at the boss. "Yeah, try to call him that sometime, we'll see if he likes it."  
The fat small lady left and the blond man turned to the two.  
"Hi. You must be my new assistants. I'm Steve Dunham, we've met the other day. And you must be Milo, and you are? Right, Isabel. Alright, let's go, we have a lot of stuff today. I'll show you how to work with this software and then I have to run to a meeting. You can sit here. We have three big audits to make so believe me you won't get bored here. Okay then, if you have any questions just ask me or Lauren, she sits next door. Gee, I've got to go now, I'll see you before lunch, I'll come by to check upon ya a bit, to see how you're enjoying your first day at work."**

**He winked at Isabel and left. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Milo praying to God that he listened  
to instruction this time because she sure as hell didn't.**

**Isabel finished her prelunch task and stretched her arms. She looked over where Milo was sitting with a question.  
"Yes, I'm done, too." Milo didn't even tear his eyes of Minesweeper.  
Isabel sighed and got up to go and tell that to her boss. She knocked on the door of his office, surprised to see it was opened. She was about to enter when she heard voices. She froze and before she knew she found herself  
listening to stranger's conversation. Again.  
"Come on, bro. It's not like I need the money for me to buy a beer!"  
She heard oddly familiar voice yelling. She guessed that her boss answered  
him, but he spoke much more quit, she only heard some mutter.  
"Why? Don't you understand that I just want to get done with this thing and get over it? NO, there is no other way. Because she said so! Believe me, it's her decision, not mine. No, she's having none of it. She won't listen to me! What else am I supposed to do? I cannot make her to do anything, you know that."**

**There was silence for a couple of minutes. Then she heard some muttered voices again but she couldn't decipher what they were saying. Not that she was trying to, anyway. Suddenly she heard footsteps and she jumped, tearing her ear off the door. To her surprise she found herself looking in the eyes of the hooligan she saw yesterday. She knew it must be him, because he had his signature frown on his otherwise pretty face.  
"I, I was looking for the boss." She said with a blush. He just sat down on the chair in the hall and said that Steve is having some important phone call and that she should wait for him here. Isabel nervously sat down next to him. They were quiet for a while but then he broke the silence.  
"You have a nasty habit of listening to conversations that are none of your business, you know that?"  
She looked the other way, embarrassed.  
"I'm trying not to." She mumbled.  
"Yeah well try harder next time," he snapped, his face getting angrier.  
"I didn't hear anything!" She added quickly.  
He frowned at her. "Whatever. What are you doing here anyway?"  
"I work here." She said proudly.  
He snorted. "Work here? What are you, twelve?"  
She felt that it's no good to argue with boss' brother on her first day at job so she decided to agree with him.  
"Yes, yes I'm twelve. I'm only counting numbers, so they let me do it. They don't pay much though, for me being a child prodigy, you know."  
She was relieved when she saw the frown on his face disappeared. Then his phone rang and after he finished his call he didn't pay attention to her anymore. Steve came out of his office after 15 minutes of painful silent waiting and after giving her only quick glance he told Isabel to ask Lauren what to do next. She knocked on her door and while she waited for Lauren to answer the door she watched Steve giving his brother a check, them hugging quickly and the brother left. She noticed that he walked like an ape, with his arms swinging around uncontrollably, which made her laugh.  
"What now?" asked her Milo, when she came back to office with a stupid grin on her face.  
"Nothing." she grinned even sillier. "Here, a gift from Lauren."  
She laughed when he made an annoyed face when he saw the amount of work Lauren sent him. Isabel spent the rest of her day wondering if Lauren is gossipy. She'd love to hear some good gossip and she sensed that office environment had to be rotten with rumours of who did what with whom. Not like she would say anything about anyone. She sneezed and gave Milo the finger, when he frowned at her for distracting him and making him to start over again.  
_Aw, the office job. I think I might love it._**


	3. Chapter 3: Bon voyage

**"Hugh, have you seen my sunglasses?" Ma asked with a raised voice,  
standing at the bottom of staircase, looking up.  
"We were supposed to leave five minutes ago, Margaret! Why do you always  
have to do this?" Papa sighed. "You can always buy a pair at the airport! Don't go upstairs looking for them, you'll waste 20 minutes looking for them! We  
have to Margaret? Margaret!"  
Isabel watched her mom go upstairs to browse her bedroom once again. She'd bet that Ma had those damn sunglasses packed in one of the huge suitcases.They were leaving for 10 weeks to exploit the beauty of south east Asia, while their daughter will be discovering the beauty of adulthood, beginning with living on her own. Of course, Ma and Papa had no idea. It was agreed that Isabel will stay at Auntie Jane, while Auntie Jane believed that they agreed on that Isabel will leave with their parents. Isabel couldn't believe that she got to an empty house for the whole summer like a blind chicken to its seed.  
She didn't even try to convince them to let her stay because she knew they would never allow that, but there you go. Sometimes you don't even have to try to mess with the system, in particular when it is so fragile it can collapse over something really stupid, like sunglasses left on the top of ones head. Isabel stepped in immediately and told her mom not to panic and reach over her forehead. After that Ma and Pa finally said their goodbyes and left Isabel waving at them, and in a way greeting the happier tomorrow. She didn't want to be like those horrible people in cheesy movies, who talk to themselves when alone using cheesy one liners. But she couldn't help it. She walked into the empty living room where she wearily sank on the couch and look around, where it was all nice quiet and abandoned and smiled hugely.  
"Yay, go me!" she chirped and put the CD of Mindless Self Indulgence on. The first tones of Shut me up made her to get up and after a while she found herself jumping on a couch with the ice cream pack in her left hand, the stereo remote in her right hand and a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth.**

* * *

**The dark crept slowly into the evening, but Izzie hadn't noticed only until she turned the stereo off and the house, other while warm, quiet and cosy suddenly appeared nothing like it. She heard odd noises from every part of the house that she never noticed before. The wooden staircase, a fridge in the kitchen, screechy window upstairs, it has all turned into cacophony of creepy noises that were making her nervous. She grabbed the glass vase from the coffee table and as quiet as she could she slowly walked toward her room, looking all around her; ready to hit anyone or anything that would come close. She was almost in her room. She turned the door knob and entered. There was someone inside, standing in the dark, staring at her with a knife in a hand.  
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" she yelled, giving every banshee in a neighbourhood a run for her money. She threw the vase at the creature and turned the light on, only to reveal thousands little pieces of broken glass and mirror smashed all over the carpet and her bed. She let out a huge sigh of relief and sat on a chair, looking at the devastation. She noticed that glass was literally everywhere, it would take her days to clean that up. She sat there in silence when a little laugh escaped her throat. The sound of it echoed in the empty house, and she grasped the whole irony of her finding out she can't stay alone in the empty house without going crazy only after her biggest wish of her parents leaving her alone was fulfilled. She started laughing so hysterically she thought she'd die of laughing. When she calmed down she packed some stuff she thought would come handy and left the house too.**

* * *

**"Good morning!" Isabel tried to sound as sunny and chirpy as possible, hoping that way Milo won't notice that she didn't come from the elevator, but the restroom, where she tried to freshen up after a night spent on the couch in the offices sofa room. She was being extra slick though, coming five minutes late for work.  
Milo looked at her with sleepy eyes and sullen face.  
"You have toothpaste on your face," he greeted her and yawned. Isabel glanced at the large mirror in the hall and to her annoyance she saw the he was right. She was looking through her handbag desperately to find a handkerchief when Steve came in with her backpack in his hand. She looked up and slapped her forehead. She knew she forgot something.  
"Isabel, can I have a word with you?" Steve asked and by his tone she knew he wasn't really asking, he was telling her. Her eyes met Milo's and they both knew she is in trouble. It upset her a little when she saw that Milo is unconcerned at her and other than looking like he spent a night on a coke binge he looked quite happy.  
"That little asshole." she mumbled and followed Steve to his office. At the doorway she turned around and saw that Milo is munching on her Snickers bar she left there yesterday. He waved at her and grinned, chewing on the crispy biscuit, milk chocolate and chewy caramel.  
"I. Hate. You." she mouthed and hurriedly followed Steve. She felt so sad. It looked like it was her last day at this place and there wasn't one person who would miss her. She grasped that she wouldn't care if she was forgotten instantly, if only one certain person would stay in touch with her.  
She sighed. Steve was already at the door of his office, but then Lauren came up with some papers and concerned look. Steve frowned.  
"Isabel, please wait in my office. I'll be right back."  
She went inside and hoped that he'd be gone long enough for her to come up with some plausible explanation why her backpack was in a room she had no business in. She paced from one side of the office to another, trying to think quickly, but her mind kept running back to Milo, wondering what is he doing right now and if he's talking to that little skank from law department. She shook her head.  
"Damn girl, focus!" she tried to stimulate herself. Right then the door opened and she jumped.  
"Talking to yourself, are you. You nutcase."  
It wasn't Steve the Boss, but his hooligan brother again.  
"Hi." she put on a little smile which faded away really quickly. At this time yesterday everything was peachy and life was good. She knew that Steve would come in anytime now and her heart started to pound faster. What a difference a day makes, she thought sadly. She learned the hard way that house is not a home. She was scared of loosing her job after first week. She was scared of being all alone. She missed her Ma, but she couldn't call her because she'd be in more trouble then she is now. And on top of that she was in love with her annoying colleague who didn't care about her. Her feelings must've reflected on her sixteen year old face, because she heard the guy asking her if she's alright. To her surprise he did actually sound concerned.  
"Yeah," she said, her voice sounding a little raspy. She coughed and  
added. "I'm fine."  
She looked at him curiously. He looked like he was in trouble himself.  
"What about you?" she asked.  
"Me? I'm bloody wonderful." He sighed.  
They sat in silence for about a minute. Isabel felt the urge to just let it all out and somehow it seemed easier to share with a stranger than with some friend of hers. She took a deep breath.  
"I knew my Aunt is leaving with her new Swedish boyfriend to his homeland for summer and I swore to her that I won't tell my Ma. Now I'm too scared to stay in the house alone, I'm about to get fired by your brother, I have nowhere to go, I love Milo and I secretly hate my best friend."  
She turned her big eyes at her boss' brother, waiting for his reaction. He seemed to hesitate for a second, but then he shrugged.  
"Fuck it. My now girlfriend is pregnant and she wants to get rid off the baby because she doesn't want me to be the father of her child, she wants me  
to pay for the abortion, but fuck me if I have the money. After she told me I spent the whole week drinking my arse off and now I have a shiny nil on my bank account. And England didn't qualify for the Euro Cup. "  
They stared at each other, feeling a bit embarrassed. Isabel heard footsteps. It must be Steve coming back.  
"I have money." She said quickly.  
He looked at her with a sparkle. "I have a free couch."  
"I can tell apart a from a nice girl."  
He laughed. "Fuck, I can help you get that Milo, whoever he is."  
The door opened and Steve came in.  
"Pete? What are you doing here? I thought that"  
Pete smirked at his brother.  
"I came here to talk to"  
"Isabel," she chimed in quickly.  
"Isabel." he repeated with a wink. "By the way, she is happy that you have found her back pack, she was looking for it for days. Ah, glad that we've sorted that out. Isabel go back to work now. Right? Right. Well, off you go."  
He kinda pushed her out of the door, and he through her back pack at her.  
"I'll see you after work," he said quietly and closed the door, leaving her in the hall alone and confused, but hopeful. She knew it was crazy that she was even contemplating moving to his flat, but she couldn't help it. They'd made a pact. You can't just go and break a pact, she grinned. She walked back to her cubicle and slapped the back of Milo's head for stealing the chocolate bar and took the blueberry muffin out of his hand. She sat back on her chair and ate the muffin while she watched people walking down under on the parking lot, thinking. Before she ate the last bite she came to conclusion that nothing wrong came out of her living with Pete. Hey, she never said she was smart.**


	4. Chapter 4: Catherine

**"Lemon and grapefruit? You gotta be kidding me." Isabel has been looking in the fridge for a long time now and the only thing suitable for eating were two yoghurts, unfortunately in flavours that were too off-putting. She put a hand on her stomach as she heard it rumble.**

**"To hell with it," she said and grabbed the grapefruit yoghurt and a spoon and sat down on a couch, after she threw a bunch of hers and Pete's clothes of it.**

**She's been living in Pete's apartment for five days now and although for a short second she was shocked what a crappy place it was, she got over it really quickly and now she was enjoying the freedom of putting glass on a coffee table without using a coaster. She became a big slob now and she feared the painful transition back to being mommy's tidy little girl. Of course, she wasn't worried only about the neatness factor. She dreaded the moment when her parents discover that she's not at Auntie's and that she lied to them smoothly in every phone call. Her living with a 26 year old man was only a bonus. Come September 3rd she is grounded forever, which made every occasional beer taste heavenly, everything was twice as hilarious, amusing and interesting. For the first time in sixteen years she saw colours so bright that sometimes she felt like wearing shades.**

**Of course, Pete himself wasn't so amused with living with Izzie. After she paid him off and they had a first fight about order of things, he made it clear that offering her to live with him was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He wasn't the kind of guy that would break a promise, but his statement sure did make the first days awkward. Isabel tried to make things better with cooking and joking around, but she couldn't help calling the place 'crapartment'. She apologized constantly, saying that she watches too much television and can't stop making used up jokes, but Pete didn't seem to appreciate that. It was the same evening when she accidentally broke the bookcase and Pete punched the wall. There was a long uncomfortable silence and finally Pete mumbled that he's tired and is going to sleep. After he closed the door of his bedroom she stood still with open mouth staring at the hole in the wall. In that moment she considered leaving home and spilling the beans to her parents. She's never seen anyone to vent anger in that way and it really scared her.**

**However the next morning didn't feel that courageous anymore, so she decided to give the guy a chance. But she swore to herself that the first time he hits her, she's out of here. So now while Pete was at work she was enjoying the empty apartment, eating breakfast and watching Gossip Girl re-runs.**

**She heard the key in the lock and she frowned, looking at the clock. It can't be Pete yet, so who the hell is it? She jumped on her two feet and grabbed a pair of scissors to protect herself from the intruder. The door opened and a tall pretty brunette stepped inside. She threw her keys into the key frog, only then noticing Isabel staring at her with bugged out eyes. Isabel guessed she must be surprised, however she hid it well.**

**"Hi!" the stranger greeted her with a huge smile, exposing her shiny white teeth. Isabel didn't say anything. After few seconds she realised that she is staring at the newcomer and she quickly looked the other way. The brunette let out a little laugh, that wasn't as sweet as her tone tried to be and asked: "Is Pete here?"**

**Isabel shook her head. "No, he's at work."**

**"He was supposed to have a day off today." The girl said accusingly.**

**"Well, he doesn't." She didn't like this girl. She made her feel uneasy. She was beautiful and confident and full of herself. She was everything Isabel wasn't.**

**"So what are you doing here if Pete's at work? Who are you anyway?" Isabel took a deep breath and started to answer her questions but she stopped her.**

**"You know what, don't tell me. If my boyfriend's fucking a thirteen year old in my bed, I really don't want to know."**

**She frowned and whipped out her cell phone. Isabel could only guess that she is calling Pete. Although she couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, she easily guessed what is he saying.**

**"Hi sweetie, it's me."**

**"(Sigh. 'I'm sorry, who is this?')"**

**"What do you mean, 'who'?"**

**"(Grandma, is that you?)"**

**"You're a funny guy, Pete. It's me, Catherine."**

**"(Laugh. Through the tears.)"**

**"You don't recognize the voice of your own girlfriend?"**

**"(I'd rather not.)"**

**"You're pathetic. Where are you, anyway?"**

**"(At school. Where the fuck should I be?)"**

**"We were supposed to meet today at your place, honey."**

**"(You don't say.)"**

**"Well, I'm saying. I have an appointment for today, you know that, sweetheart."**

**"(Silence.)"**

**"Pete we're in this thing together! You said you'd come with me. You said that you'd hold my hand." Her voice cracked.**

**"(I've fucking changed my mind.)"**

**"So, you're not coming?"**

**"(No.)"**

**"Pete…"**

**"(Yeah?)"**

**"If you don't go with me now, we're done, are you aware of that?"**

**"(Yes, I'm aware off that. I have to go now. We'll talk about it some other time, alright?)"**

**"Pete, don't you hang up on me. Pete! You hang up. You asshole." Catherine put the phone back in her purse.**

**"What are you staring at?" she snapped at Isabel.**

**"Nothing." Isabel sheepishly eat a spoon of yoghurt, just so she had to do something with her hands.**

**"Is that my yoghurt?" Catherine observed, and by her tones would someone think that Isabel stole her grandma's diamond tiara. "Give that back to me!"**

**She tried to take it from Isabel, but Isabel's clumsiness kicked in again and she spilled the yoghurt all over the floor.**

**"Bitch." Isabel groaned in disbelief.**

**"What was that?" Catherine raised her voice.**

**"It was only a yoghurt, you could've let me keep it."**

**"Well it was my yoghurt and I can do whatever I want with it."**

**Isabel grabbed a towel and kneed to clean up the mess on the floor. "And it doesn't apply only to a yoghurt, does it," she muttered. Isabel noticed the girl was staring at her.**

**"You seem have an annoying habit of poking your little nose into my business, precious. Hasn't your mommy toughed you any manners? Well, I guess it's my bad, when I expect a girl to mind her own business and not to do things like listening to other people's conversation or fucking someone else's boyfriend, right? Mommy raised a whore and now I have to deal with consequences. Just remember, precious. I'll get you. When you least expect it." With that she grabbed her keys and left. Isabel went to bathroom to freshen up after tiresome last hour and when she saw herself in a mirror she had to laugh. Her hair was all messed up because she hadn't brushed it in two days. She had no make up on, making her look like she was eleven year old with eyes so small one would wonder if she could see at all and skin so pasty she looked like a flour moth. Why would anyone ever think that Pete Dunham would shag _that_ was beyond her.**

**"That crazy pregnant slut."**

**She decided that it'd be best if she groomed herself and went out to eat, maybe even stock the fridge. Her phone beeped. She got a text message from Milo. He was wondering if they could meet and grab a bite. She smiled at his perfect timing. Too bad they weren't meant to be together. Her crush on Milo lasted only 4 days and it disappeared just as quickly as it started. She came to a decision that a boyfriend would only mess up the already complicated situation. "Ok. Meet u Joes in 20 min. C u l8er." She pushed SEND, grabbed her own pair of keys and left the apartment, where the air still smelled like awkwardness mixed with little frustration blended with displeasure.**

* * *

**Much to her discontent the atmosphere in the apartment hadn't changed whenn she came back in the late afternoon.  
"Hello stranger! How was your day?" She put the bags with groceries on the kitchen counter. He mumbled something in return, but Isabel didn't catch what.**

**"You're alright?" She asked and sat down on the couch with pack of Pringles in her hand. Pete was sitting in front of her in the comfy chair with his pretty head in his hands and he looked like he needed to cheer up. He didn't say anything.  
"I went grocery shopping. I don't know what you had for breakfast but I almost starved."  
She felt like he wasn't paying any attention to her rambling so she got up to the fridge and started putting things she bought where they belonged.  
"I've met your girlfriend today. What do you want for dinner?"  
She turned around to see his reaction. He raised his head and his face lost that blank expression. "How about you shutting up with some chips on aside?"**

**"Well, that was uncalled for." She put down a box of cereal on the counter. "I was just making the small talk."  
"Mind your own business, princess." He grinned at her and took the box from her hand. "Or you'll be back in that scary arse house of yours sooner than you can say 'quidditch'."  
She gave out a small laugh and then started choking on dry cereals immediately.  
"Careful there, Iz. Don't you die on me." He said dryly and poured some milk into his bowl and patted her on the back. He grabbed the bowl and sat down on a couch, put his feet on the coffee table and turned the TV on. They didn't finished the movie they watched last night and Isabel had to smile as she watched Pete Dunham flicking through the scenes of Philosopher's Stone to find the one they saw last. She sat down next to him, careful not to spill any of the milk.  
"You teach a bunch of ten year olds, right Pete?"  
"Yup." He nodded.  
"Then how is it possible that you've never seen any of the Harry Potter movies? How can those kids respect you? You are SO uncool." She chuckled.  
He threw the pillow at her and smirked.  
"Shut up. I'm listening to professor Bumblemore, you annoying twat."  
When she saw his serious face she masked her laugh by burying her face into the pillow.  
"Aw. You have the other films, too?" He asked when the movie ended. She lifted her head so she could see his face and find out if he was serious.  
"Really?"**

**"Why not? I'm a single man, and while I'm past the phase of drowning my sorrow in tons of beer, I still don't feel like dancing. Besides, if you think it'll make me cool, I'll do it. I'll watch all three Harry Potter movies. Just for you." He mockingly gestured to his heart and then pointed at her.**

**"You know that there will be seven movies, right?" She yelled at the direction of bathroom where he was taking a shower. She sat on the floor in front of the TV, looking through the bunch of DVD's she had brought from home to see if she could find The Chamber of Secrets.  
"Seven? Fuck. And you saw them all?"  
She looked up from the pile and looked at him, standing in the bathroom door wearing only boxers. She noticed he had a West Ham crest tattooed on his chest.  
"The last two are not filmed yet." She got up and grabbed her pajamas and towel and headed to the bathroom. "And put some clothes on you tart. Jesus, you really do love yourself, don't you." She pushed him gently out of the door and closed it behind him. She took a quick shower and in 10 minutes she was hard asleep, lying across the notsocomfy couch.**

**Isabel opened her eyes wide, but still she couldn't see much in the darkened apartment. She didn't know what woke her up and she couldn't find the switch on the lamp. Her heart was racing so fast and loud she thought it would woken up the whole neighborhood. After what felt like hours she finally found that damn switch and turned the light on. She turned around and she kind of wished she didn't. There was a man in the apartment and it wasn't Pete. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Then she screamed again. And again. She took a deep breath and attempted to scream some more but to her horror someone put a hand on her mouth. Uh oh.**


	5. Chapter 5: Bovver

**"Calm down, would ya? Fuck, you're yelling like you're paid for it. My ears almost fell off. Did you just bloody bite me? Jesus, are you crazy?."  
Pete put his hand off of her mouth and looked at it closely as few small drops of blood appeared on his palm. He licked them away thoughtlessly and greeted the man whose arrival had scared Isabel so much.  
" 'Ello Bovva." He laughed as he reached into fridge for a bottle of water. "I reckon you need a place to crash." He continued in more serious tone after drinking few gulps of cold water. Right then Isabel became much more interested in their little conversation. The guy mumbled something in return which Pete took as a yes. Isabel didn't like judging people without really knowing them, but she could tell that this one is a morose fun sucker, with his frowning brows and his mouth pointing down like a sad smiley face.  
"Too bad the couch is already taken." She chimed in and thought that it's too bad Pete can't read minds as she tried to tell him with her eyes to make the stranger just go away. But he just looked at her with that trademark stupid grin of his as he bundled her away from the couch.  
"It's alright Bov. Of course you can stay here. No problem. Here, you can sleep on the couch."  
Isabel couldn't believe him. Giving away her bed without even asking her was beyond rude. She took her pillow and blanket and stomped out of living room and claimed Pete's bed as her own. Bovver looked confused, as if only now he realized she was there.  
"Yeah, thanks mate. I had the most awful night. Bitch threw me out like a dirt bag. Like I'm not the one paying half of the rent."  
"Well, you're not."  
"When I get a pay check I'll pay her back right away, she knows that, I know that. But she has to yap on and on about washing dishes and some other fuckery and I come back from work tired as hell and she just won't shut up."**

**"Weren't you in the Abbey with the boys?"  
"What's your point, son?" Bov asked protectively as Pete shook his head and sat down on the leather chair. "On whose side are you?"  
"There are no sides Bov." said Pete and Bovver drunkenly continued.  
"I might have drunk a pint or ten and then I went home. I open the door quiet as a mouse, I even held my breath. Mate, I was so quiet even I didn't hear me coming but them bam she starts yelling at me with that annoying voice. Have you ever noticed that? Her voice? Mate, it's unbearable."  
Pete couldn't argue that. Bovver's girlfriend had kind of annoying voice.**

**"And then she fucking threw me out. Just like that. No 'glad you came home safe', no nothing."  
"Just like that?" Pete watched his friend looking all over his pockets for cigarettes when he noticed blood on his jacket. "Bov? Is that all that happened? She yelled at you and you left?"  
Bovver took one cigarette out of the package and with it in his mouth he looked for a lighter.  
"Bov?"  
He looked up. "Do you have a lighter?"  
"Don't smoke here you mug." He took the cigarette out of Bovver's mouth and threw it on the coffee table. "Stop fucking around and and tell me what the fuck had happened there. Tell me you didn't hit her."  
"I hit her, alright. But bitch had it coming."  
"Bov! Not again! But she is okay, right? You made sure that she is alright before you left, didn't you?"  
"Of course. Now let me get some sleep. I have to go to fucking work in themorning."**

**"That makes two of us. Alright, good night Bov." Pete turned the lights off and went to his bedroom, trying not to think about what state he would find Polly in when he got there tomorrow morning. He kept telling himself that she was alright, just like Bovver said, but he couldn't get the images of her lying in the puddle of blood like the last time out of his head. "She's alright." He convinced himself as he lay down on his bed. "She's alright."**

**Isabel desperately kicked the blanket off herself and for the twelfth time in an hour she tried to puff up the pillow. She was lying as close to the edge of the bed as possible, as uncomfortable as it gets. She threw a fed up look where Pete was lying hard asleep, drooling on the pillow and apparently not feeling the same sense of impropriety and awkwardness as Isabel did. She glanced over to his nightstand and saw the big luminescent alarm clock telling her it was 4:10 AM. That's not that early, she thought, but didn't make a move to get up. Yes, she wasn't at ease lying in a bed with a 26 year old man she knew only for few weeks, however the thought of waking up the rude weirdo who crashed on her couch and God forbid talking to him or having breakfast forced her to get off the bed and crouch into the armchair next to Pete's bed, where she sat in the foetal position, staring out the window, waiting for the dawn to save her.**

**She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again after what she thought was just a blink of an eye she noticed that two things have changed sun was shining outside and Catherine was present. "Hey," Isabel said to her, trying to get the signs of sleep and surprise out of her voice. "How long have you been here?" She asked and after failed attempt to stand up she stretched her stiffened legs.  
"I just got here." Catherine flashed Isabel one of her broad insincere toothy smiles as she smacked Pete his back to wake him up."Wake up you piece of shit."  
But he just uttered some indecipherable sound and turned on the other side. Catherine seemed to lose her cool, because she grabbed a golf club from a golf bag lying in the corner. Isabel watched her with the mixed feeling of horror and amusement.  
"Huh, iron, number 6. Sounds about right." Catherine rose the club and with a professional swing she smacked Pete, who lied there angelically unaware of what's going on around him. He let a scream out and looked around confused.  
"Aw, look Izzie, he don't know what hit him." Catherine threw the club on the floor and smacked Pete lightly on the head with her palm to gain his attention. "Good morning, Petey. I see you've had a slumber party last night." She nodded in the living room direction, where Bovver was still sleeping sweetly. "Just tell me one thing. Did you make your manicure and  
combed each other's hair before or after sweet little Bovver beat the shit out of Polly?"  
"He didn't mean to" started Pete weakly, but Catherine cut him off.  
"Pete, she's in the ICU now, so don't you fucking tell me he didn't mean to. He can tell that to the police, though. Let's see what they'll say. I'm guessing something between 2 and 4 years in the pokey."  
"Fuck." Pete sat up on the bed, rubbing his aching forearm that's been bruising up quickly. "Who called the police?"  
"Nobody had to, Pete. The girl's face is so messed up you couldn't tell if it's her. The doctors are pretty smart folks; they figured she didn't do it to herself."  
"You called them didn't you?" He got up and took few steps to get closer to her. "Catherine? Did you or did you not call the police to arrest my best friend even though you knew how the things are between them?"  
He was only two inches from her face now. She tried to look anywhere but into his eyes.  
"Maybe I did." She kind of admitted.  
"Why I am not surprised." He snorted and pushed her back to get to the bedroom door.  
"Question is why you are not surprised that your so-called best friend beats up girls on regular basis. Right, Izzie?" She shot back. Pete stopped in the door frame and turned around to look at his ex-girlfriend.  
"Don't fucking go that; don't drag her into this. She's a fucking child and this is none of her fucking business, alright, Cat? Yell at me all you want, beat me, shoot me, kill me; just keep it fucking private."  
With that he left the room and went to the bathroom. When he got back, Isabel was dressed  
already and pushed through him to get to the bathroom right away he opened the door.  
"You left the damn seat up again!" She yelled at him and slammed the door to let the adults talk in the much wanted private. She found her iPod lying on the counter, so she plugged the headphones and turned it on. She kept it on even when she walked into the kitchen area, so she didn't hear them talking, only the music. Still she could tell they're yelling at each other, with the wild gesticulation and angry faces. She grabbed a cereal box and a bowl and poured some milk in it, than she sat at the dining table and watched them arguing while some The Libertines song was blasting into her ears.**

**_"An ending fitting for the start, you twist and tore our love apart, your light fingers threw the dart, shattered the lamp into darkness it cast us."_**

**Isabel watched them arguing in mute, bopping her head a little bit to the rhythm of the song. Pete was explaining something to Catherine, waving his hands in front of her face, while she was giving him the look that meant she's not buying it.**

**_"No, you've got it the wrong way round, you shut me up, and blamed it on the brown, cornered the boy, kicked out at the world, the world kicked back a lot fucking harder now."_**

**Bovver seemed like he can't take Catherine's reluctance anymore and threw the coffee mug on the floor in frustration.**

**_"If you wanna try, if you wanna try, there's no worse you could do, I know you lie, I know you lie, but I'm still in love with you."_**

**Bovver must have said something offensive because Catherine already pissed off an hour ago shoved him and he bumped into kitchen counter. A brawl broke between Bovver and Pete, who was simultaneously trying to avoid getting hit by Bovver and keeping Catherine and primarily the empty beer bottle in her right hand far away from Bovver's head, which wasn't that easy. Isabel decided she's seen enough and focused mainly on her cereal bowl.**

**_"Have we enough to keep it together, or do we just keep on pretending, and hope our luck is never ending. "_**

**She jumped when few seconds later Pete took the head phones out of her ears and told her to get her things she needed for today.**

**"I'll give you a ride to work. Hurry up."  
"Alright, I'll just grab my bag." Isabel answered and wondered where  
everybody had gone.**

**"No way." Milo said like a fifteenth time, while Isabel was telling him about this morning's events.  
"So he said he'll give me a ride to work, right, but in reality he needed an excuse why to come here and talk to his brother. I've heard he can't just come to his brother's house and talk to him freely, because bosses wfe s a total bitch and hates Pete."  
"Gee. Are you sure you wouldn't be better off at your house?" He asked when she finished the story. She shrugged.  
"You wanna hear a secret? I don't want to come back there. Like,ever."**

**"What? Not even when your parents come back?" He raised his eyebrows. She  
looked at him sympathetically. He was such a child sometimes.  
"Especially not when my parents come back."  
Milo would raise his eyebrows even more, if it were humanly possible.  
"And what do, like, want to do? You're not planning to stay with this guy forever, are you?"  
"Of course not. In a fact, I have to get out of there as soon as possible. It's getting kinda stuffy in there. I just haven't figured out where to go yet. But trust me, I'm working on it."  
He shook his head and got back to work and gestured her tohe same. She shot him a smile and started to work, too. She only got 10 days of the internship left, so it really was a time to think of her next move. She didn't know what she'll do; she just knew she won't go home anytime soon. She had had enough.**


End file.
